Improvement in cotton-harvesters



w. swonmnn & De w c. HERNDQN. COTTON HARVESTER,

No.183,433, Patented on. 17, 1876.

MPETEHS. FHOTO-UTHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. D. C.

WILLIAM STODDARD, 0F WINONA,M1NNESOTA, AND DE'wITT o. HEENDoN, on GEEMANTO wN, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNORS OF oNE-THIED THEIR RIGHT To THOMAS A. NELSON, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

IMPRQVEMENT IN COTTONHARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 13,433, dated October 17, 1876; application filed March 2, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM STODDARD of Winona, in the county of Winona and State of Minnesota, and DEwITT O. HERNDON, of Germantown, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Harvesters and we do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. v

The object of our invention is to pick or gather cotton from the stalk or plant as it stands in the field; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of a machine adapted for that purpose, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which our invention appertains to make and use the same, we will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which Figure l is a plan view, and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of our machine.

A represents the axle, having a wheel, a, on each end. From the axle or from a bolster secured thereon rise two vertical standards, B B, at or near each end, which standards support at their upper ends two short horizontal shafts, m m, provided with pulleys c c and d d on their outer and inner ends, respectively. The pulleys c c are, by endless bands or chains g g, connected with band or chain wheels I) I) attached to the inner sides of the driving-wheels a a. To the rear side of the axle A, near the ends, are. attached frames 0 O, which extend rearward, and have each an elevator, I, attached to their outer sides. On the inner side of each frame is attached a platform, f, and at the rear end of each frame is attached a cup or pan, D, communicating with the lower end of the elevator. ii are two rotating cylinders, standing slightly inclined backward, and having their journal-bearings in the cups D and rear end of the frames 0. Each cylinder 41 is made of wood, and provided with an exterior sleeve or covering, fastened thereto its entire length. A series of vertical rows of teeth, at, are arranged to project radially from the cylinder. The teeth a are made of steel, iron, or other hard, yet elastic, material, and are held rigidly in the cylinder by means of the metallic covering, while the projecting portions of theteeth are sufficiently elastic to yield to any undue pressure. The

cylinders thus constructed are protected bymeans of shields k k, and they are rotated by bands or chains 9 g, connecting the pulleys d d on the inner ends of the shafts m m with pulleys e e on the upper journals of the cylinders. The frames 0 O carrying the various parts, as described, are movable laterally as on hinges at their front'ends, and held together by means of a spring, 0, said spring regu lating the movement of the platforms ff and the revolving cylinders by narrowing or widening the space between said cylinders for the passage of the cotton-stalks.

In operation, as the machine moves forward over a row of cotton-stalks the movable platforms f f press the stalks down, and bring them in contact with the revolving cylinders by the teeth on which the cotton is picked or gathered and carried to the elevators l l, and these convey the cotton up to a box or receptacle, suitably arranged on the wagon.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the swinging frames 0 O, carrying the platforms f f, cylinders i c, and elevators ll, and regulated by means of the spring 0, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

WILLIAM STODDARD.

DEWITT O. HERNDON. Witnesses:

WM. GAY, GILBERT D. RAINE. 

